Happenings at Smiling J Farm

This time of year we usually spend getting the farm books together for the dreaded tax payment and buying seeds and other things for the garden. We are doing a few things differently. My sweetie Troy has had a knee replaced and we are pretty much concentrating on his recovery. Perhaps after tomorrow morning I’ll be able to get the farm books together. And maybe I’ll even be able to plant a few seed transplants. Keeping the house in order and making sure he’s comfortable and things are clean is a full-time job!
I have come to appreciate several things. 1) Full use of my arms and legs. Seeing people in the hospital with new knees and hips pained me, although medical technology can do amazing things! 2) The tools which can make life with challenges a bit easier. As I get older I realize that there may be a time when I will need some “help” to reach things and move around better. There are all kinds of cool things to help with that. 3) Fulltime caretakers and stay-at-home mothers have a full-time job! It just amazes me how much one has to do to keep up with the needs of others. When do these folks have time to use the bathroom or have lunch themselves? After Troy and I got home from his first Physical Therapy appointment, I ran out with a list of about 8 things to do. Between getting paperwork from the doctor for insurance, medicine, and other needs I realized when I got home I had not eaten lunch! I was plumb worn out!

This has also been a practice run at retirement. Here is my take on that: I have to make sure my husband is healthy! If he’s underfoot the entire time he will drive me crazy! I need to be able to use that new sewing room and I haven’t seen the inside of it once the entire week. I’ve got to get out there. .. .

I will have plenty of things to do between going through the house and de-cluttering it, cooking more often and sewing I will have plenty to do. There is also the barn and storage area I need to clean out. That will take some time. Once all those things are done I can begin volunteer work at a nursing facility or maybe the local library. There is plenty to do and I look so forward to it!